Tony Parella of Dallas prepares to take his 1934 Chevrolet onto Thunderbolt Raceway on Sunday during the Sportscar Vintage Racing Association weekend at New Jersey Motorsports Park in Millville. / Staff photo/Cody Glenn

Doug Richmond of Newark holds a first-place medal he won in the Sunday Sprint Race, driving his 1984 Roush Racing tube frame Trans-Am — one of only 16 made — during the Sportscar Vintage Racing Association event in Millville. / Staff photo/Cody Glenn

Steve Grote of Philadelphia stands by his British 1963 Daimler SP250, one of only 2,463 built, during the Sportscar Vintage Racing Association weekend at New Jersey Motorsports Park. / Staff photo/Cody Glenn

MILLVILLE — The roaring of engines and the scent of burnt rubber filled the racetrack Sunday morning as drivers from across the region competed with their vintage cars at New Jersey Motorsports Park.

As part of the park’s Sportscar Vintage Racing Association weekend event, drivers sped in their vintage cars, which ranged from 200 mph F-1 cars to classics like Bugattis and Ferraris, along Thunderbolt Raceway as their families cheered them on. While many competed for medals, others did it just to impress their families.

But the best reason was racing simply for the thrill of it.

Ohio resident Jeff Mitchell had just finished racing his 6-cylinder red Porsche around the track before he loaded it into his trailer with the help of his 16-year-old son.

“It was a lot of fun,” Mitchell said as he removed his race suit. “A little warm, but not too bad. I like the competition.”

Mitchell, who raced the first round of two at Sunday’s event, said the best part was sharing the fun with his son, who watched as his dad zoomed past other sports cars.

“I got to spend some time with him,” Mitchell said. “This way, he’s not at home chasing girls like all 16-year-olds do.”

Loren Mague of Medford came out to cheer on her father as well. Mague was joined by her 9-year-old daughter, Jadyn, who said she preferred riding horses to racing motor engines. Both cheered on their loved one, however, as the second round got started.

“It’s just really fun and exciting,” Mague said of watching her father race. “It makes him happy, so it makes us happy to watch.”

Motorsports Park Event Director Jon McKnight said he could see why the event was popular with the hundreds of spectators who turned out over the weekend.

McKnight said both days of the event featured two rounds, each containing 11 classes of vintage sports cars, and eight races in each round. Some 75 cars registered to race for the 15-minute laps Sunday, he said.

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And to ensure the drivers’ safety as well as the preservation of the expensive sports cars themselves, the park instituted a no-hit rule that ensured drivers would not damage one another’s vehicles. If one car struck another, McKnight said, both were disqualified from the race.

That rule appealed to Jack Freehoff, who traveled from West Chester, Pa., to watch.

“Some of these vehicles are worth so much, you don’t want to destroy them,” he said. “These are historical vehicles. They’re a blast to drive, they’re fast and they’re pretty reliable.”

Freehoff, a former vintage sports car racer, came out to watch a family friend compete.

“It’s like watching one of my kids race,” Freehoff said of his friend’s son, who drove a Swift DB2 around the Thunderbolt track. “We’re a family of racing.”

Freehoff said he enjoys the Millville park’s various racing events, and said the SVRA competition allows vintage vehicles to get their much-needed exercise.

“Instead of letting these cars sit in a museum, bring them out and race the heck out of them,” Freehoff said. “That’s what the darn things are meant to do.”